Page 88 of The Throne Seeker

This was the next challenge.

Anger gripped her. Was this the high council’s doing? Had they really needed to kidnap her? Couldn’t they have given her a warning? Did the king know about this? She couldn’t believe he did, not after everything he’d done to protect her. It had to havebeen the high council’s scheme, no doubt spearheaded by Lord Martin himself, in hopes she’d die in this trial.

She was tempted to succumb to her panic, but if she did, it’d be that much harder to get out of this alive. No matter how much she wanted to shut down at the sight of the large body of water below her, she had to overcome her fear.

So, with a deep breath, she searched for the source of her chains. To her surprise, she discovered that she was tethered to a large, curved iron arch situated just above her, somehow joined to the cliff’s rocky surface for the challenge. It was large enough that if she did fall, she’d end up hanging directly in the center of the cove.

There was no way up or down. No way but to climb. And she wasn’t even sure if she could manage it with this cumbersome chain restricting her movement. How in the hell had they even gotten her on a ledge like this in the first place?

Maybe if she climbed high enough, she could build enough momentum to swing back in the opposite direction. But even with her increasing strength, she feared she wouldn’t have the endurance to reach the top. It was a long shot, but she couldn’t think of another option.

Why hadn’t she learned to swim?

Her mind flooded with all the ways this idea could go wrong. She couldn’t guarantee she could find her way back to the small ledge if she failed to reach the top. If that were to happen, she’d be dangling in the middle of the cove like a fish on a hook.

Her anger toward the council was strong enough to consider taking the risk.

Just as she began to consider executing her dreadful plan, the ledge beneath her quaked. A large crack spread through the rock between her feet, threatening to collapse.

Her fear transcended into horror.

She sprang to her feet. Having little time to react, she grasped the first holds she could find. Her hands had just found a solid grip just before the ledge gave way entirely, crumbling and falling into the sea below.

She hung there for a moment, her chest heaving. She cursed under her breath, resting her forehead against the cliffside, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

She peered back up the cliffside—well, it was decided for her now.

Summoning all her courage, she forced herself to climb. She took her time finding each hold, doing her best to keep her hands from shaking. Her outfit wasn’t doing her any favors—she was still wearing the cursed pink dress and flats from the previous day.

The wind howled around her as she inched her way up. With every effort to find a new foothold, her feet continued to slip. Her useless flats gave her little to no traction, becoming a hindrance. She had no choice but to kick them off. Pressing on, she continued to climb barefoot, gradually making her way up.

She was impressed with the small progress she was making, the tiny success instilling a seed of hope.

However, that hope was short-lived. Within minutes, her arms began to waver. She fought against her shaking arms, gritting her teeth, pausing only to rest briefly.

After a few minutes, she paused again to catch her breath, panting as she surveyed her surroundings. The top was still far away—too far to reach. She’d never make it.

She studied the large, curved rod. She was almost at a point where if she let go, it might give her enough momentum to swing herself to the other side, but she couldn’t be sure. She considered the idea, contemplating if it would be worth the risk.

Without warning, a large crack rumbled above her.

Her eyes shot upward—a large boulder coming straight for her.

No, no, no. Not yet.

She might not make it to the other side if she let go now. But she had no choice. There was no time to debate. The boulder picked up speed with every second she lingered.

She let go, managing to grab hold of the chain just in time as the large mass fell right where she’d been resting.

And just like that, she took to the sky, free falling into the blue abyss. She maneuvered her legs into a swinging position, trying to make herself more aerodynamic. Gravity dragged her down until, finally, she swung upward, climbing higher and higher. Her outrageous plan might just work.

Despite her hopes, the swing wasn’t enough. As soon as she had reached the height of her swing, she scrambled for the rocky wall to get a handhold. But it was all in vain; her scraping fingers slipped right over the rock.

She plummeted again, losing all control as she spun around in circles.

She swung back and forth until she came to a stop, hanging helplessly by her wrists in the middle of the cove. The iron clasps dug into her skin from the weight. Grasping the chain, she tried to alleviate the strain. She peeked down at the sea of blue below her, her hopes of escaping now utterly ruined. The tide was rising and the shoreline was almost gone. Fantastic.

She had to bite down on her lip to keep it from quivering. Would they drop her into the water? Did they know she couldn’t swim? She squinted up at the long chain above her, holding her fast. She was too exhausted to even consider pulling herself up.